Jack Duff
Welcome To My Page!
My Understanding of Leadership
Before entering the program, I had a very broad understanding of what leadership meant. When I learned about different leadership styles and strengths, I was able to assign meaning to techniques that I had observed. This program has made me more adept at identifying leadership techniques and knowing how to adapt to the styles of others as well as developing my own. I began to understand what I could bring to the table as a leader and how to mold it into something concrete, reliable, and effective. It involves getting rid of bad habits, learning to communicate better with others, and how to delegate work to improve efficiency. At the forefront, I think leadership is about bringing a group of people together, finding out their skill sets, and setting goals that are reasonable and achievable for the group. Along the way you need to make sure everyone feels included, accepted, and properly utilized.
Developing My Leadership Style
Learning about the different kinds of leadership styles, I knew that I had to acquire techniques from all of them to be an effective leader. I have to transform a group or organization I lead in order to generate the most impact, and I have to inspire those around me to fulfill and embrace our mission. I want to lead using soft power by establishing trust and respect with my peers, but I’m aware that taking charge and using hard power is required in times of crisis and urgency, an environment where I believe that I thrive in. When operations are normal, I can be easy going, trustworthy, and I do what I can to make working together enjoyable. But when the switch is flipped and we need to make quick but smart decisions, I have improved my abilities to resolve conflict and make the tough decisions. I believe that my skills in conflict resolution, risk management, on boarding, and my creative ability to adapt are what makes me an effective leader, and testing my competencies and strengths throughout the program has reinforced this. Our project in CPPL101 illustrates this, where I helped take charge in developing our RFP and conducting interviews with the organizations we chose to receive our grant money. It was a fantastic experience that put practical use to the decision making tactics we have learned throughout the program.
Leadership In Practice
I feel that I use what we learned in conflict resolution and diplomacy in my everyday life. The skills I have learned in PL have made me a better conversationalist and problem solver, and I am better able to articulate my thoughts and opinions and collaborate with others. I use my leadership philosophy in group settings with friends and colleagues and I am confident that learning these skills make me a more self aware, considerate and adaptable leader and human.
